The Institute of Marine Research (HI) has discovered more vulnerable and endangered species in the Førdefjord than what has been known so far. Among the red-listed species are bamboo corals and blue snakes. – There is an even greater diversity of species in the fjord than we have been able to document before, including right inside the landfill area, says HI researcher Terje van der Meeren. He characterizes the discovery of spawning blue snakes as “the most sensational find”. – We have previously observed blue langur in the Førdefjorden, but we have never, neither here nor elsewhere in Norway, caught a spawning specimen in a fjord before now, says van der Meeren. Blålange belongs to the cod family and has had the status of “strongly threatened” since 2006. Photo: Havforskingsinstitutet Controversial mining project In 2009, the mining company Nordic Mining received a license for a sea dump in the Førdefjord without considering other alternatives. The explanation is that the mineral waste directive to the EU, which requires measures to minimize waste to be “an integral part of the planning process”, was first incorporated into Norwegian law in 2012. To that, several have objected that the time for the decision was in 2015, i.e. three years after the mineral waste directive was brought into force. And there the political and legal dispute has been going on for several years. In September, the case goes to court. The map shows where the researchers trawled the Førdefjord (red lines) and the planned landfill area (purple). Photo: Havforskingsinstituttet Director of the mining company Nordic Mining, Kenneth Nakken Angedal, has previously told news that they are “confident that the operating license has been granted on a good and legal basis, after good and long assessments in many bodies”. news has not succeeded in getting another comment from the company. The Ministry of Trade and Industry confirmed last year that Nordic Mining can keep the license and proceed with the plans. – The ministry has gone through the matter thoroughly and concluded that the company must be granted an operating licence, said Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) last year. On Wednesday, Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre presented a new mineral strategy with stricter requirements to reduce the extent of deposited masses, better utilization of resources and less impact on nature. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB About the research project The research project CoastRisk (2019-2023) has aimed to strengthen the knowledge base on how ecosystems along the coast are affected by various factors. The county is one of several areas that have been investigated in the project The ecosystem cruise in the fjords in February 2022 with the research vessel Kristine Bonnevie was a combined resource and hydrography cruise. The voyage covered the coast and fjord from Karmøy to Stad in Vestland county. The bottom trawl in November 2021 with the hired shrimp trawler Brattholm trawled shrimp fields in the same area – Cannot allow such environmental values to be drowned in mining sludge Critics of the decision claim the discovery of red-listed species changes the assumptions and creates new momentum in the case. – Can the Minister of Industry guarantee that vulnerable and endangered species such as corals and spawning blue snakes will not be suffocated in mine sludge? If not, the mining company’s license must be withdrawn, says Greenpeace leader Frode Pleym. He adds: – The government declaration clearly states that nature and climate must be a framework for all politics. This means that the dumping of mine sludge is completely contrary to the stated policy of the government. – This shows how bad things can go Christian Steel, the environmental organization Sabima – It is terrible if the marine landfill risks exterminating a peculiar fish tribe! Then there is probably a lot of other things that can disappear that we don’t know about. This shows how bad things can go when you don’t follow the “precaution” principle. Here, the principle has been turned on its head and “take the chance” that it will go well. – The evidence of how harmful the dumping of mining waste in the fjord can be is getting stronger, says Lars Haltbrekken, representative of the Swedish Liberal Party. He adds that the government must reverse “the crazy plans”. Truls Gulowsen from the Norwegian Nature Conservation Association is happy about the discovery of the red-listed species, but adds that “we cannot allow such environmental values to be drowned in mine sludge”: – This discovery confirms that the environmental impact assessments and nature mapping that were the basis for allowing the landfill were too bad. – This is really exciting The marine researchers used the Shannon-Wiener species diversity index to “score” the species diversity at the various stops. – The bottom trawl station in the planned mine landfill area had the highest score, says train manager Guldborg Søvik. The survey also showed that the Førdefjord “probably” has its own type of “Norway’s tastiest fish”: school bream. Preliminary analyzes indicate that the variant in Førdefjorden is genetically different from scholastic rocks from Skagerrak, Korsfjorden and Trondheimsleia. – This is really exciting. “Species diversity” includes more than just the presence of a species, it also concerns the different genetic strains. And here it may appear that the Førdefjord has its own version of this deep-water fish, says van der Meeren. EFTA’s monitoring body ESA has signaled that it will investigate whether the practice of allowing marine landfill is in line with the water framework directive. – We are confident that the operating license has been granted on a good and legal basis, says Kenneth Nakken Angedal, director of operations at the mining company Nordic Mining. Photo: Eirin Tjoflot / news
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Discovery of red-listed species creates new dispute over fjord landfill – news Vestland
